Ok, so this isn’t the best picture, I didn’t arrange the dish very well, but boy was this a great dinner. I can’t wait to make it again. The sauce on the chicken is to die for. I actually wish I had made some extra sauce, it was that good. The shallots, wine and garlic give it so much flavor. My husband and I ate it two days in a row, and could easily have eaten it all week if there had been any more left over.

This recipe comes together fairly quickly. It helps if your chicken breasts are on the thinner side, and are all approximately the same thickness so they all cook for the same amount of time.

I had a nice bottle of rich, buttery Rombauer chardonnay in my refrigerator, but didn’t want to use it in this recipe, so I went to the liquor store around the corner and asked for a recommendation. I was given a nice, dry Italian white blend which suited this recipe perfectly!

The one slight problem I had with this recipe was having the breading come off the chicken breasts as I flipped them in the pan, and as I removed them from the pan. It didn’t affect the taste, they just didn’t look as pretty.

A couple of the boys tried the spinach and gave it marginal ratings. They had no interest at all in the chicken with the sauce. I know I’ve said this before, but they really don’t know what they’re missing!

Chicken Florentine Style
Recipe from Giada De Laurentiis

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
All-purpose flour, for dredging
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
2 tablespoons shallots, sliced
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 1/2 cups dry white wine
1 cup whipping cream
1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley
2 (10-ounce) packages frozen cut-leaf spinach, thawed, drained

Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. Dredge the chicken in the flour to coat lightly. Shake off any excess flour. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook until brown, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a plate and tent with foil to keep it warm.

Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in the same skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic and saute until the shallots are translucent, stirring to scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the skillet, about 1 minute. Add the wine. Increase the heat to medium-high and boil until the liquid is reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Add the cream and boil until the sauce reduces by half, stirring often, about 3 minutes. Stir in the parsley. Season the sauce, to taste, with salt and pepper. Add the chicken and any accumulated juices to the sauce, and turn the chicken to coat in the sauce.

Meanwhile, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in another large skillet over medium heat. Add the spinach and saute until heated through. Season the spinach, to taste, with salt and pepper. Arrange the spinach over a platter. Place the chicken atop the spinach. Pour the sauce over and serve.

Yield: 4 servings

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